Even in silence, Madison County’s Peyton Sartain keeps a beat as works on electrical wiring.  

“If the song has a good beat, I like it,” he said. “So, in my head, I’m just trying to play a good beat.” 

  

The music in Sartain’s head is a winning tune. The rising Madison County High School senior recently won the Skills USA state championship in electrical construction wiring, along with first-place finishes in the state’s Northeast and Southeast regional competitions. He then competed in June in the national Skills USA competition in Atlanta. 

“Being able to win regionals, I told myself, ‘Hey, I’m actually better than what I originally thought I was,'” said Peyton. “It definitely builds confidence. By the time I got to nationals, I wasn’t nervous, even though it was a lot more serious.” 

A MASSIVE EVENT 

In the national event, Peyton competed against 41 other state champions in the Georgia World Congress Center in the Skills USA Championships, the largest skill competition in the world, covering 1.79 million square feet, equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres. 

More than 6,000 students competed in 115 hands-on occupational and leadership competitions, including robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance, and public speaking. 

The aim is to prepare youth to be skilled and successful U.S. workers, and that message resonates with Georgia’s electrical wiring state champion. 

“The trades are what build the country,” said Peyton, sitting in the Hardees in Danielsville and being interviewed about his experience. “We’re in a building (Hardees) that wouldn’t be here without the people in the trades. They are very important people. And there aren’t enough people for trades. They’re probably the most important jobs out there, but they don’t get paid as near as much as they deserve.” 

A BOOST FROM HIRESMART CARES 

Peyton got a boost from HireSmart Cares, a Madison County-based nonprofit that awarded him a $2,275 grant for his Skills USA registration and hotel costs. HireSmart aims to provide local youth with the knowledge, tools, and opportunities to succeed, and the organization funds a variety of initiatives to help support students like Peyton. 

“Our mission is equipping the next generation,” said HireSmart Co-CEO Mark Lackey. “We decided we needed to get out into the community, get to know the needs, and find out how we can help.”  

Peyton’s wiring knowledge has already caught the attention of employers and earned him prize money for purchasing tools.  

Meanwhile, his MCHS construction teacher, Zach Carithers, said Peyton has made great strides in the past year. 

“At this point, he will take the plans and he can kind of roll with it,” said Carithers. “His confidence level is sky high — not just in his ability but also socially. He has shown tremendous growth.” 

PARTICIPANTS PUT TO THE TEST 

In the Skills USA wiring competition, contestants are tested based on the latest edition of the National Electric Code (NEC) standards, a conduit bending exercise, and hands-on installation of a conduit system, cabling system, and wiring devices.  

The participants work from drawings and specification sheets. Judging is based on general workmanship, the accuracy of layout and installation, and adherence to industry-safe practices.   

Conduit bending involves running a tube to protect and route electrical wiring from one receptacle box to another. Sometimes, obstacles are in the way of the conduit.  

“You have to know how to bend those angles and how they get around obstacles,” he said.  

The following day, participants had to install a conduit system.  

Peyton explained the challenge: “I had multiple different circuits that had a wire from a panel. The panels were where the main power goes into and then the breakers go to the circuits, and I had to bend a conduit from there to a junction box that all the other circuits go into that box. In that junction box, you had a whole bunch of different wires, and you had to figure out which one needed to go to where. And there’s plywood you had to cut holes into, and you had to run wire behind the plywood, which is kind of hard to do because usually when you wire it’s just open.” 

WATCHING PEYTON SUCCEED 

Peyton’s parents, Matt and Sandy Sartain, watched from the spectators’ area as their son put his skills to the test. Matt is a 30-year electrician employed by Escoe Industrial Contractors. 

Peyton’s father said his son “never gives up.”  

“Even if he comes across a problem, he just works around the problem and he never quits,” said Matt. “That means a lot. A lot of men just give up. He never gives up. He makes me very proud.”  

Sandy said Peyton’s electrical wiring ability has brought him out of his shell socially. She said he used to be extremely bashful about speaking, but now he’s willing to give public presentations. She also praised Carithers for his willingness to work with Peyton and develop his skills.  

“I mean, it’s summer break, and he took a week with my child to come here to Atlanta to compete,” said Sandy. “Not just anybody will do that.” 

Carithers said other Madison County students want to participate in Skills USA after seeing what Peyton has done.  

  

“We got four more students join after state that want to compete next year,” he said. “More students are wanting to get involved seeing the success of another student. It’s pretty cool. This event also shows the industry support and the need in the industry. Companies are willing to donate time, materials, and workers for these kids.”  

Broad River College and Career Academy CEO Paul “Bo” Boykin was also on hand to cheer on Peyton at the national Skills USA competition in Atlanta. He noted the huge investment from U.S. businesses in the event. Industry leaders from 850 companies, trade associations and unions participated. Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash, and material. More than 1,200 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year. 

“What’s really special is the amount of industry support,” said Boykin. “You have so many employers who are part of this because they see the need to get students excited about these career possibilities and to let them know that there are great opportunities out there for them. Seeing these employers’ heavy involvement here shows you that it’s badly needed. And it gets kids excited. And they see the connection to the real world.” 

A CLEAR CAREER PATH 

Peyton plans a career in electrical wiring. He’s not sure exactly how that will look. Will he start his own business? Perhaps. He’s considering pursuing a business degree. 

The rising senior said he’s glad he participated in Skills USA. He nearly didn’t. 

“Mr. C (Zach Carithers) practically begged me to join Skills USA,” he said. “I wasn’t going to do it. I didn’t want to stay after school and we were building a house. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I have time to do this,’ but he convinced me to do it, and I’m glad I did it. I learned a lot. It was good.” 

When it comes to electrical wiring, Peyton Sartain doesn’t miss a beat. 

For more information about Skills USA, visit skillsusa.org. Anyone with a suggestion on how HireSmart can help local youth develop the skills they need to succeed can email Info@HireSmartCares.org.